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A message from Elijah Dukes

I really want to tell the fans of DC, Jim Bowden and Mike Rizzo thanks a lot for helping me out in many ways. I really grew up a lot because of those two guys. I also want to give a hug to Harolyn Cardozo and Willie Harris for the time that I needed people the most. A special thanks to them.

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13 Comments

It takes a big man to send a message like that.

I hope the Nats fans have a chance to see this Blog entry and send their regards to Elijah.

I have to say personally that I really enjoyed Elijah. He was a fan friendly guy and really the only thing I can give him back is to let other teams know that they would be smart to give this player a chance on their squad!

I always looked forward to every Elijah at-bat….and the team will surely miss his strong arm, and ability to throw out runners at home plate from deep RF. I don’t think I ever saw a lack of effort from Elijah, and I hated seeing him get cut. Best of Luck Elijah!

Dukester
You were a warrior when we needed a warrior. Patience at the plate, cannon of an arm, improving ball hawk skills If only every Nat had your intensity
Just learn to hit that breaking ball and come back soon-hopefully as a Nat! On the other hand if you come back as a Met or Yankee I take back all of the above, sorry….

I was proud of the Nationals when they picked up Elijah and made a significant investment in both his baseball future and his personal welfare when nobody else would. While I enjoyed the excitement and potential he brought to Nationals Park and regret that the baseball route hasn’t worked out so far, I can see from his message that he has truly grown as an adult. I wish him well in baseball if that is his goal, but hope that what he’s learned while wearing the Nats uniform will serve him well in the rest of his life. Hopefully that will be a productive and happy one for him. Best wishes.

Teams may remain wary of Elijah, but even half a season with an independent team, evidence that he can handle things off the field, and progress on-the-field with breaking pitches should get more than a few teams interested. You have to believe teams will follow his progress.

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